River Ouse Bargeman

by Lewis, David;

  Construction of river walls at the confluence of Trent and Ouse around 1930 to increase the navigable depth of the river to Goole has reduced the bore’s force, but it is still worth looking out for.

  Since this flood tide is so powerful, it might be thought that navigation up river would be simple – wait at Hull or Goole until the tide is due, and just surf up on the inrushing ‘first of the flood’. Sadly, life isn’t that easy. It is certainly the case that ships try to leave their moorings to catch the flood, but the tidal flow actually outruns anything carried on it.

  When craft were powered by the wind, the best that could be done was to go with the flood until slack water arrived. Judicious use of sails and tacking across the river could carry a ship a little further upstream, but eventually it would be necessary to drop anchor. Out would come the pack of cards whilst the mariners waited for the tide to turn. Many tides could be needed to bring a sailing ship up from Hull to Selby or York. Instead of lying becalmed, it was possible to tow ships along socalled haling or towing paths. However, like the roads, they could often be so poorly made that they were impossible for horses to use.

  The advent of motorised craft in the early part of the nineteenth century overcame these problems to an extent. It was now more possible to keep up with the flow, and a good trip from Hull to Selby could be achieved in six hours.

  Working with the tides is not the only problem. The navigable channel of the river constantly varies. Since this channel in the Ouse depends on how the flow of water scours it out, the correct course to follow depends on the time of year and the state of tide. Firstly, particles of mud caught up in the current are responsible for changes in the depth of the navigation channel. The major source of this silt in the river bed derives from the flood tide’s work of carrying up mud from the soft cliffs of Holderness. During summer and autumn, the fast-moving flood tide carries material for a considerable distance up-river, but the ebb lacks the power under normal conditions to remove it. On each tide, the bed of the river therefore rises a little. It is only with the torrents of fresh water caused by winter rain and melting snow that the deposits are washed back out to sea.

  The shifting river channel at a meander

  A diagram showing how the movement of the river current in a meander affects the navigation channel. (Author)

  A second point to consider is the twistiness of the Ouse’s course. Its many hoops and bights, bends and meanders, require careful piloting to keep to the navigable channel, since the depth of water varies across the width of a river bend. Currents in a river tend to flow towards the outside of a bend. Without vigilant steering, craft would go with the flow, giving rise to some problems.

  A combination of flow patterns and bends leads to potential problems with grounding. The silt tends to build up in the slacker sections of the river, such as the insides of bends, where nesses form. If your boat was caught on a ness, at the very best, there was a wait of twelve hours for the next high tide. If particularly unfortunate and the level of the tides was dropping from day to day, you might have to wait for a fortnight until the gravity of the moon was at its maximum effect, and the tides were sufficiently high to refloat the vessel. In the meantime, the possibility of the vessel breaking its back by being only partially supported by water was an ever-present problem.

  In the slacker water of summer, nesses extend further and further into the river course, leading to shoals of shallow water. If such a shoal develops, in extreme cases river islands can be created, with ebb and flood tides running in different channels around this temporary feature. In the quieter conditions of summer, shoals can stretch across the entire width of the river, creating a bar. These features tend to be washed away when winter rains increase a river’s natural flow. Laurie’s tales describe how a mariner had to face and surmount these challenges raised by Mother Nature.

  A river pilot was skilled indeed to be able to understand and counter all these natural nuances and any craft hoping to voyage successfully to and from Selby and the coast would need to be crewed by seamen astute and experienced enough to deal with such problems. At the very least, boats carried long poles to push the boat away from any shallows and doughty ropes that could be attached to riverside trees to allow muscle power to shift the boat if grounded.

  An example of these navigation problems is acutely described by well-known nineteenth century traveller, George Head. He describes the pitfalls involved during his voyage from Selby to Hull that began after breakfast one morning:

  ‘The navigation of the Ouse and Humber, owing to shoals and shifting sands, is as bad as can be, at all times. This morning the tide was fast ebbing, and though starting one minute sooner might possibly have operated in our favour, in point of fact, the chances were about ten to one that we would be stuck in the mud.

  ‘Doubts were soon expressed by those partially acquainted with the river as to whether the ebb was not too far advanced. Before we had been a couple of hours on the way, indications appeared sufficient to set speculation at rest, for the water became as thick as a puddle, so that it actually retarded the rate of the steamer; and two men, one on each side, each with a checkered pole in his hands, continually announced the soundings.

  ‘We were tantalized for some time by hearing “six foot, five foot, five and a half foot, five foot” and so on, till at last came “four and a half foot” and then she stuck.

  ‘As it turned out, this not happening to be the spot whereon the captain had made up his mind to repose, he was active and anxious to get the vessel afloat, and in this object received able support from all his passengers, who, about forty in number, condescendingly acted in concert under his directions, and shuffled across from one side to another so as to keep her going, and prevent her from lying quietly down on the mud.

  ‘Whenever, in a coarse gruff voice, he gave the emphatic word of command “Rowl her,” the crowd, like sheep at the bark of a dog, trotted across the deck, treading on one another’s heels, and suffering much personal inconvenience. At the same time they hauled upon a rope, previously sent on shore, and made fast to a purchase, till the vessel was disengaged from her soft bed, and again afloat in a channel nearer the shore.

  ‘We proceeded now about two miles farther, when the men with the checkered sounding poles were at work again for a few minutes, and then came an end of all uncertainty, for we touched the ground again, and in a few seconds were laid up in right earnest.

  ‘The captain now was so well prepared for the catastrophe, that not an oar was plied, or the least exertion of any sort made; but here she remained for three hours, during which time an opportunity was afforded to those inclined to reflection to determine the cause why this packet boat might not, by starting some time later, have allowed the people to pass their time at Selby instead of upon this mud bank. On asking eagerly for information on this point, it was hinted that the liquors on board were excellent; but this is mere hearsay.’

  Though in medieval times York was an important port, over many years, the Ouse gradually reduced in depth above Selby as summer silting was not overcome by winter floods. Dredging or ploughing the shoals had some effect, but it became ever more difficult for cargo boats to reach York. By 1544, York Corporation noted that its thirty-five-ton sea-going sailing barges were unable to navigate reliably from York to Hull due to lack of depth of water.

  On a royal visit to the city in 1617, York Corporation asked London poet Sands Percvine to act the role of the ‘Voice of the River’, a costumed figure personifying the Ouse, to petition King James I himself on Ouse Bridge. Mr Percvine informed the monarch that his money was urgently required to return the city to her mediaeval glory in the matter of river trade. Sadly, his role did not bring the relief requested.

  By the late seventeenth century, it was feared that unless something were done, the laden ships and barges of the time would only be able to reach the city twice a month, on the biggest or spring tides at times of full moon and new moon. Surveyor Thomas Surbey wa
s asked in 1699 to find a way of restoring the tide to York. The commonly held idea was to cut across all the bends in the river below Selby. At a cost of £40,000 (perhaps £4 million in modern terms), river flow would increase and so reduce silting. However, Surbey was able to demonstrate that the additional flow of tide gained by this expensive solution would only give York four inches more water on the highest of tides, and so this expenditure would not be a good investment.

  His advice instead was that ‘wee conceive a Lock to be ye best and cheapest way of Improvement of yo’r Navigation and trade’ and that York should build a river lock at Naburn, to ensure water levels to York remained at a navigable depth. His estimate of the cost of this lock was £5,500 (£430,000), around an eighth of the cost of cutting the corners, and much more effective. However, York Corporation was not convinced, and despite thanking Surbey and paying him £25 (£2,000) for his services, almost sixty years would elapse before the lock was finally built and opened in 1757.

  Although the weir at Naburn now guaranteed a good depth of water at York, trade to York was waning, as the sheer distance of the haul up river, almost eighty miles, was too timeconsuming. Selby’s advantage was its intermediate position between York and Hull, closer to the coast and without the need to navigate yet more bends and shoals between it and York.

  Even before York’s problems with river silting, Selby had had a valuable river trade. In 1204, its annual value was £263 (£150,000), placing the town twenty-fourth of thirty-five trading towns, behind Hull with £5,170 and York with £2,631, but putting Whitby’s £3 yearly return to shame! There is some evidence that trade was international, as a merchant referred to as Alan the Frenchman held much property in Selby’s riverside street, Ousegate, at this time, and a century later, two wine merchants from Gascony are recorded as being active in the town. In 1339, Edward III allowed reloading of goods at Selby without payment of further customs dues, which meant that Selby was a source of a sufficient volume of goods bound for the continent to make this worthwhile.

  The major moving force for medieval trade in Selby was the Abbey. Selby Abbey’s walls encompassed the current Market Place, and goods flowed between the Market Place around the Abbey and Micklegate to riverside wharves and jetties. The monastery and merchants worked in tandem, with the result that Selby became the hub of local, regional and national trade. Contemporary records show that lead, timber and stone for the Abbey passed from the river to the Abbey, along with materials for wider trade such as copper and iron, cloth and coal, oils, spices and leather.

  The river was a much more efficient artery of transport than the roads. As Farley states:

  ‘when roads were the merest tracks … the river afforded an easy thoroughfare for goods and chattels carried on rafts and coracles.’

  River-based activities also implied shipbuilding. John the Shipwright is recorded in Ousegate in the fourteenth century, and Selby’s reputation for quality shipbuilding stretches back centuries as Henry V’s ship Catherine, involved in transport to Agincourt, was built at an Ousegate yard. Life along Ousegate was probably boisterous and court rolls record instances of small-scale illegalities and people-trafficking that would not seem out of place today. For instance, in 1472 John Coke was accused of running a ‘nocturnal gambling centre’ whilst Robert Browne was charged with ‘harbouring Scots and other suspect people’.

  In general, the medieval picture is of a thriving port for transhipment of goods and small scale boat manufacture, which continued until the late seventeenth century. Typical cargoes listed in 1698 include coal (from Newcastle!) hay, corn, wool, lead, butter, rape seed and tallow. Shipbuilding and allied activities no doubt continued along Ousegate. A map of 1790 shows ‘Mr. Sheppard’s shipyard’ just next to the mouth of the newly-built Selby Canal. A few years after Sheppard’s yard is recorded, John Foster appears on the scene, firstly in 1804 as sole owner of a 144ton brig, Cromwell Bottom, and in 1805 of an 81ton sloop, Britannia. In 1807, he is reported as both a shipbuilder and owner:

  ‘Launched from the shipyard of Mr John Foster, Selby, a fine new ship called the Seaton, upwards of 300 tons burthen. The launch was remarkably good, attended by a great concourse of people, and the hilarity of the day was kept up by Mr Foster, the builder, and principal owner, giving an elegant dinner to a party of select friends, and distributing plenty of punch and ale to some hundreds of his workmen and attendants.’

  The shipyard then went into the hands of Samuel Gutteridge, who ran a successful business for many years. His shipyard not only had a dry dock, but also sufficient capacity for launching four large ships. The Northern Star of 29 February 1840 reported:

  ‘This noble art of shipbuilding is now in greater activity at Selby, Mr Gutteridge having commissions of several large brigs and schooners. There are in his yard three ships on the stocks at present.’

  The growing importance of Goole meant that shipbuilding in Selby went into decline in the 1850s. Thomas Green took over from Gutteridge in 1856, followed in short order by James Banks, then Joseph Burton. More long-standing names then came to the fore with Henry Connell setting up a yard that lasted until the 1950s, with Cochrane’s neighbouring yard remaining in business until the 1990s.

  Laurie’s working life involved him with both Connell’s and Cochrane’s shipyards. Mountain’s History of Selby reported that over 800 coasters were dealt with annually at the wharves on the Ouse in 1800 with around 370,000 tons of goods passing through what was effectively a major inland port. Trade continued to slowly improve, and twenty years later, in the summer quarter of 1819 alone, figures from the Yorkshire Gazette show almost 500 ships used the port of Selby. That equates to around seven vessels per working day. These vessels came from all parts of the English coast ranging from Sussex to Northumberland. Not only goods, but passengers were also carried, and as the nineteenth century advanced, these sailings became more regular. In 1814, the steamboat Caledonia journeyed between Hull and Selby. By 1822, a steam packet service existed between Hull and London, and three years later a weekly service linked Selby and Yarmouth, with occasional voyages to Rotterdam.

  In 1828, a Customs House was erected on Ousegate, to allow goods to pass through Goole or Hull without needing to wait for inspection onboard. In the 1840s, the Penny Magazine reported:

  ‘There is a branch custom-house at Selby, so that vessels can proceed direct to any part of the kingdom. About 1,000 ships with cargoes clear coastwise annually.’

  Another passenger vessel was the Joanna, which left ‘for Hull and all places adjoining the Rivers Ouse and Humber’ every Monday. The return journey was advertised for Thursdays ‘if wind and weather permit’ implying that they might not always do this. The possible problems of the journey have already been seen in George Head’s item. The single fare on the Joanna was 2/- (£3) and food was available for an extra 6d (80p) for men but merely 4d (55p) for women. Around 20,000 passengers annually were using the steam packet service to Hull by 1830, with the encouragement of Selby entrepreneurs including James Audus.

  Samuel Lewis reports in 1831 that:

  ‘The chief article exported is stone, which is sent coastwise: ships of one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons’ burden navigate to Selby; steam-boats pass daily to and from Hull, and there are daily communications with London, and every port on the coast: here is a ship-yard, in which vessels of considerable burden are built.’

  Selby was once again a thriving commercial hub.

  The next stage of Selby’s commercial development presaged the decline of river trade. Lewis records that:

  ‘It is in contemplation to construct a railway from Selby to Leeds, which, if effected, will materially promote the trading interests of the town.’

  The railway opened in 1834, but as Selby was the terminus of the line from Leeds, river carriage onwards to Hull remained highly popular. New, steam-powered vessels had greatly reduced the dependence on wind and tidal conditions, and despite the shoals and shallows, new ships were built for th
e journey between Selby and Hull, using the modern technology of iron instead of wood. The Leeds Mercury of 30 January 1835 tells us:

  ‘The bold and successful experiment of constructing vessels of iron seems destined to come into extensive operation … iron vessels only draw 2’6’ (0.7m) not the 4’ 0’ (1.2m) for wood’.

  A later issue of the paper, on 7 March 1835 described yet another new launch:

  ‘Iron Steam Packet “Railway”’. On Thursday last a large and beautiful steam packet, constructed entirely of iron, was launched from the yard of Mr Gutteridge, shipbuilder, Selby. She received the name of Railway and is intended to ply between the depot of the Leeds and Selby Railway at Selby, and Hull and to carry passengers only. She is so constructed as to draw the least possible draught of water and it is full expected she will be able to make the passage at all times of the tide without grounding. The Railway is the property of James Audas [sic], Esq. of Selby and is commanded by Mr Camsell, an experienced Captain in the London and Selby coasting trade.’

  Selby’s river-based commerce was booming. High quality warehouses were put up along Ousegate to reflect the opulence of the times, with superior residences for ship’s officers and shipping agents being constructed in town. The rail and river combination became widely popular. The Leeds Mercury reported in 1836 that it was ‘now possible to travel from London to Hull in under a day’. Excursions were arranged to make use of the link, but only for a few years until the railway line was extended to Hull in 1840.

  Cargoes now reflected the agricultural area around Selby with loads to and from the mills for flour, seeds and animal feedstuffs. At this time, control of the waterway from York to Goole was with York Corporation, which provided a public towing service. The wharf below the railway bridge was called the Corporation Wharf to show this.